Stardust: Leaves Covered in Frost
by Nightwing1104
Summary: Ten moons ago, Stardust Cats ran across the landscape, free to do as they pleased. Then, they were forced into a pit by LeafClan, doomed to spend all of eternity in its depths. Or are they? Frostpaw, Jayheart's resentful daughter, has found a way to escape. Now, with Hollow by her side, she's come up with a simple plan; To make her father's life a living hell. (Sequel!)
1. Moving On

**Welcome everyone to the sequel of Stardust: Shimmering Secrets! This is a test chapter, to see if people want me to continue. So, at the end, vote: yes or no?**

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In LeafClan's camp, the Clan was as busy as it had ever been. Leaf-bare was almost upon them, and there was still much preparation to do before the icy chill swept over the land once again.

Fogfern stood beside Shadowgaze, helping him weave some twigs into the Nursery to strengthen up the walls. The two had begun to spend more and more time together lately, and there had been rumors circulating about them becoming mates very soon. The said rumors were most likely being spread by Tigerhope, one of LeafClan's former queens.

Tigerhope was pushing her kits along, trying to usher them inside the Apprentice Den. Their ceremony had taken place two moons ago, and they still held most of the energy that they used during kithood.

The youngest, a she-cat named Leopardpaw, pushed against her mother in protest. "But mother! We don't want to go inside!" She squeaked, trying to avoid Tigerhope's shoving paws. Her brothers, Blazepaw and Mosspaw, squeaked alongside their sister.

"But nothing!" The mother scolded. "It's freezing out here already, and I'm not letting any of you get sick!" The three apprentices all groaned in unison, but eventually Tigerhope won out.

Lightningpaw had been named a warrior, alongside Timberpaw, a younger apprentice. Lightningpaw had been named Lightningeye, and Timberpaw, Timberwing. Both warriors were heading out on a hunting patrol with Whisperwing, Shimmersoul, and Sunfire.

Jayheart sat with Robinfur in the center of camp, where the fresh-kill pile was. It was growing smaller and smaller by the day, but no one seemed to notice. Cheer spread through the air like wildfire, and it seemed to affect everyone. Everyone except Jayheart, that is.

The tom was still feeling depressed, much to Robinfur's dismay. The she-cat had tried absolutely everything to try to get her mate to feel happy again, but it seemed that her efforts were completely useless. "Jayheart, please eat something." Robinfur pleaded with him, pushing a thin mouse to him. "You need to build up your strength, before

leaf-bare comes around."

Jayheart looked away, sighing. "I... I just can't."

Robinfur suddenly jumped up on her paws, hissing, her fur rising along her spine. Jayheart flinched. "I'm tired of seeing you feel sorry for yourself!" She spat. Some warriors turned their heads, trying to see what the commotion was. "It wasn't your fault that Frostpaw was thrown down there."

Robinfur turned away, walking toward the Warrior Den. "You don't even seem grateful that I'm still okay." She slipped inside without another word, leaving Jayheart alone.

"Trouble with Robinfur, hm?" A raspy, old voice said. Servalfur sat down next to Jayheart, her filmy eyes directed on him. "I hate to see cats your age fight. You're so young, full of life! Have fun while you still can."

Jayheart nodded, looking down at his paws. "I just can't seem to get over Frostpaw. Everytime I sleep, I dream of her falling off that ledge over and over again." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I felt so helpless! I promised I'd protect her, and I failed..."

Servalfur nodded, resting her head on Jayheart's shoulder. "I know how you feel." She murmured.

Jayheart turned toward her, his nose almost colliding with hers. "What do you mean? You've lost one of your kits before?"

Servalfur sighed heavily. "I've never admitted this to anyone before. When I was a young queen, I was very sickly. I had greencough when I have birth to my little son." She took a deep breath, her milky amber eyes getting a little more glassy than they already were. "His name was Tinykit. He was a frail one too. I guess I passed on the sickness to him..."

"What happened to him?" Jayheart asked softly.

"Ferndust's mentor, Gentlebreeze, took him away from me. Her plan was to try to heal him herself. But, when I got out of the Medicine Den myself, and went to go check on Tinykit..." She paused, a distant look on her face. "He wasn't there. He was dead."

"I'm so sorry, it must have been so hard."

"It was." Servalfur agreed. "But, you know what I did to overcome it?"

"What?" Jayheart pressed on.

"I got over it. I proved to myself that I was stronger than the disease, and that it couldn't ruin my life." She looked directly at Jayheart, her gaze suddenly hard and intense. "And that's how I got my life back. It's what you need to do too, if you want to still have Robinfur. You need to move on, Jayheart."

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**Well that's it for this chapter. What did you guys think?**


	2. Ceremony in the Pit

**Welcome back everyone! I'm so sorry for the long delay. Summer is a busy time for me, so updates will be erratic. I apologize again. **

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Meanwhile, outside of LeafClan's camp, the Stardust Cats were beginning to stir. They had all slept for about a whole day, even though none of them were actually tired. The sheer boredom of their situation forced them into slumber, basically.

Today was a different day from the rest though. Today, Hollow was in charge of a very special ceremony, supposedly only reserved for Clan Cats. But a Stardust Cat could certainly perform it himself, couldn't he?

"Frostpaw!" Hollow called out to the former LeafClan apprentice, while he stood in the center of the pit. The she-cat pelted forward at once, breaking away from a small hole she had formed in the pit's side for shelter.

"I believe you know what today is." Hollow mewed calmly, though in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride and excitement for the wide-eyed she-cat. She reminded Hollow of Storm, his late son.

"Frostpaw," Hollow began when he noticed that enough cats were present now. "Is it your wish to become a full Stardust Cat?" Hollow had no clue what the real words for the ceremony were, though he had witnessed LeafClan's warriors many times. Instead though, he just decided to improvise. His cats would care anyway, since they didn't know any better.

Frostpaw nodded, her tail swishing confidently. "It is."

Hollow purred, turning to the crowd. "I now announce our newest Stardust Cat, who shall forever be known as Frostfang! Let's hear it for her!"

"Frostfang! Frostfang! Frostfang!" The Stardust Cats cheered in unison, Frostfang holding her chin and tail up high. She had dreamed of this moment for moons, and now it was finally coming true! To her surprise, it didn't really matter to Frostfang that she was in a pit, surrounded by pretty much complete strangers.

"Well, that is all for today." Hollow called, flicking an ear, "Dismissed, all of you!"

The cats quickly dispersed, but not before going over to Frostfang and giving her some encouraging licks and nudges. These cats were like her new friends and Clanmates now. She didn't need LeafClan, or Robinfur, or Jayheart...

Jayheart. Frostfang narrowed her eyes and snarled at the mere thought of him. The cat that failed to protect her, the cat that broke his promise... As Frostfang nodded to Hollow and retreated back to her makeshift shelter, confusion flickered in her mind. Sometimes she scared herself with her own intense anger, and the conflicting feelings she felt.

On one paw, she still loved Jayheart, seeing him as the caring father that he was, and still probably is. But on the other paw, Frostfang saw Jayheart as a traitor, and when his name came up in her memory, the word betrayal followed it.

Kicking a rock away with a forepaw, Frostfang squeezed her eyes shut. What was the matter with her lately? One moment, she was angry, then confused and scared, then overwhelming sadness engulfed her. It didn't make any sense, really. Frostfang sometimes blamed these emotions on her homesickness.

All she really wanted to do was get home, eat a decent meal, and feel happy again, like when she was the little Frostkit that her parents treasured. Now, they probably saw her as an enemy, and all thanks to Wildeye.

Frostfang let out a low growl, anger and rage taking over her mind again. LeafClan... They would pay. They would all pay someday, for wrongly making an enemy out of her.

"And I think I'll start..." Frostfang thought out loud, "with Jayheart."

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**And I also apologize for the length of this chapter. I will try my hardest to make them longer in the future. Thank you for reading!**


	3. A Means of Escape

**Welcome back! Chapter 3 is finally here. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Warriors. Just my story idea, and my OCs.**

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The next morning, Frostfang woke earlier than any of the other Stardust Cats. She couldn't tell if that was a bad thing or not. Hollow had explained to her before that when a Stardust Cat slept longer, that meant that they would soon die.

And to be honest, this thought scared Frostfang sometimes.

Shaking her small head to clear her mind of any morbid thoughts, Frostfang stalked determinedly over to the sides of the pit, her good eyes appearing sharp and focused as they scanned the high walls. Copious amounts of dirt and pebbles made up the structure of the pit upon further inspection.

Frostfang unsheathed her claws, boredly running a few of them across the surface of the wall. Small rocks and dirt crumbled down easily, revealing something that the Stardust Cat had not expected to see.

A small notch, seemingly made just for a paw to fit in. Frostfang scraped away more dirt, and in an hour, she had uncovered a whole system of footholds.

This was it. This would be the way she would escape this hell hole.

"Well, would you look at that." A voice whispered behind Frostfang, sounding raspy and crackly. Ancient stood there, admiring the footholds with awe shining in her golden gaze. "I never thought that you, out of all cats, would be the one to help us."

"Well, I..." Frostfang began, looking down at her paws, embarrassed to receive such praise. It made her feel important and special in a way, a feeling that Frostfang had been lacking lately.

Ancient parted her jaws to say something, but a horrible hacking and sputtering sound erupting from inside her body cut whatever she wanted to say short. She collapsed, her whole body trembling. Another cat from across the way did the same, his body twitching uncontrollably.

Frostfang crouched down to Ancient's level, trying to snap her out of this. "Ancient, what's wrong? Hello?" She shoved the she-cat with a panicky expression, as the old Stardust Cat's breathing gradually slowed. The little tom across the way was experiencing the same thing.

By the time all the Stardust Cats had gathered to see what the commotion was, Ancient and the little tom, his name being Streak, had passed away. Hollow padded silently over to each of the bodies, examining them to determine the cause of their deaths.

Finally, he cleared his throat, facing the worried faces of his cats. "No food," He said simply, appearing too calm for Frostfang's liking. "We may not have to eat and drink every day, but even that rule has its limits." He turned to Twilight and Unknown. "Take their bodies and put them as far in the ground as you can." He ordered, nudging Ancient's body with a paw as if it were just a piece of tainted mouse.

Frostfang noticed that the two deceased cats did look thinner and ragged, much worse than most of the others. "Maybe if I'd noticed earlier, I would have given them some of the bugs that I scavenged..." She thought, regret pooling inside her belly.

As Ancient and Streak were being dragged away, some cats had turned their attentions to the footholds that now peeked out of the pit walls, just waiting to be used by someone.

"What on earth are these?" Hollow asked, immediately turning his gaze on Frostfang. It was as if he'd known who had uncovered them as soon as he saw them. Frostfang would probably never know how he did that.

"F-Footholds." Frostfang replied, stammering for some reason that she couldn't figure out. Why was she suddenly intimidated by Hollow?

"Ah..." Hollow studied the notches, running his paws inside and over them. He unsheathed his claws, putting them in one foothold, then the other. To everyone's shock, the tom was able to climb quite a long way up the wall, before jumping back down again.

"Well, they work." Hollow reported, shaking out his fur to rid it of some stray dirt. "Well done, Frostfang."

Frostfang dipped her head in response. Hollow glanced at her for a minute more before going on. "We shall use these notches to pull ourselves out of this living hell! I will not have everyone here share the same fate as Ancient and Streak."

"Maybe he does care about them, then..." Frostfang thought, mentally correcting herself from her earlier feelings.

"With this means of escape, we shall take revenge on the Clan that took no pity on us." Hollow's gaze turned hard and cold, like chips of golden ice that had been set in his skull. "Stardust will return to LeafClan! And this time... We will win!"

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**And that concludes this chapter! Thanks for reading this one!**


	4. Is Being Useless a Weakness?

**Welcome back, everyone! Thanks for the kind reviews, by the way.**

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Back above ground in LeafClan's camp, Ferndust and Blackpaw were busying themselves with herbs and different combinations of them. Many of the herbs they were putting together were dangerous and could cause serious damage to a cat's body. Some warriors had seated themselves outside the Medicine Den, straining their necks to watch.

"Maybe this would work..." Ferndust murmured to herself, then shook her head and tossed a bundle of yarrow leaves aside. "No, no, nevermind. Blackpaw, get me the deathberries again!"

At the mention of deathberries, Snowstar shoved past the warriors Flamesting and Whisperwing to see what was going on. "Ferndust, what in the name of StarClan are you doing?"

Ferndust whipped her head around, smiling as she saw her leader. "I'm trying to figure out which herbs can destroy a Stardust Cat." She pushed a bowl of leaves that Snowstar couldn't recognize toward the white she-cat.

"Don't put those anywhere near me." Snowstar hissed, smacking the herbs away with a harsh paw. Ferndust had already turned her head away, and didn't seem to hear Snowstar's comment.

"Ferndust, you know that these cats just can't be killed with a bunch of leaves, right?" Snowstar said. The medicine cat didn't respond, and her apprentice just stared solemnly back at the leader. "And even if these did have some effect, you don't have anyone to test them on. So why don't you just give up and stop acting so crazy?"

Ferndust didn't respond. Snowstar unsheathed her claws, growling loudly. The soft brush of a pelt against her own made Snowstar stop for a moment. She looked down, suddenly finding herself staring into Blackpaw's eyes.

"She's not crazy." Blackpaw murmured, watching his mentor rush around, picking random bundles of leaves and berries. "She just doesn't want to feel useless. Everyone fought against the Stardust Cats in that battle, while we sat here waiting for the injured to come to us. You can imagine how helpless she felt."

Snowstar turned her own eyes back to Ferndust, understanding filling her mind. "Oh, I see..." She mewed softly.

Ferndust sighed, turning away from her work. "I didn't feel helpless, Blackpaw. Don't put words in my mouth. What I said was, 'I want to help, too. But I'm stuck here healing cats, when I could be fighting for my Clan.'"

Snowstar opened her jaws to respond, but Ferndust's pleading eyes made her freeze. "Please, Snowstar, just leave me in peace. I'm tired of feeling like I can't do anything to help my Clan, and I want to do something about it. Even if what I'm trying to do is dumb and would never work." She paused, staring ahead of her at nothing. "I... I have to try."

Snowstar bowed her head, backing away. "I understand. Do what you will, Ferndust. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"That medicine cat is insane." Wildeye strode up behind Snowstar, glaring at Ferndust. "She's not doing anything but getting her hopes too high, only to have them crushed into the ground later on."

"Hush up, Wildeye." Snowstar retorted, unsheathing her claws again. "You don't have the right to talk about your Clanmates like that."

Wildeye rolled his eyes. "I'm just stating my opinion. Calm down." He turned his back to Snowstar, flicking his tail in her face. "If I were you, I'd be the one hushing up. Stop filling this Clan with false hope. It'll only hurt everyone in the end, and they'll all blame you for their misfortune."

Wildeye stalked away, heading toward the camp entrance. He slipped out, disappearing into the undergrowth and out of sight. Rage built up inside Snowstar, and she would have released it, if Jayheart hadn't gotten her attention.

"Snowstar, want me to organize any patrols?" The warrior asked, his tail-tip twitching.

The leader shook her head. "No, thank you, Jayheart." She turned away from her deputy without another word. Jayheart watched her leave, confused. Snowstar suddenly looked tired and old, but also angry and spiteful.

"LeafClan definitely needs some closure soon," Jayheart thought grimly, "Everyone's on edge, and it's doing some real damage here."

"Fox-dung!" Ferndust's cry echoed outside of her den, whisking throughout the rest of the camp. She had collapsed on the floor of the Medicine Den, her face buried in Blackpaw's side as he tried to comfort his distressed mentor. "I-I can't do anything useful for m-my Clan." She whispered, tears falling from her eyes. "Snowstar was right!"

Jayheart's heart sank. Ferndust was very useful, and so was Blackpaw. So why was that so hard for her to see?

"She wants to fight, Jayheart."

"Talonclaw." Jayheart muttered, turning to the other tom that stood beside him. Talonclaw's eyes rested upon the saddened medicine cat and her apprentice. His green gaze looked troubled.

"She wants to be a warrior sometimes, and she can't see just how important she really is." Talonclaw unsheathed his claws, sinking them into the earth. "I pity her, I really do."

"Yeah," Jayheart mewed quietly, "I do, too."

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**And that concludes this chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	5. A Hollow Heart

**Blegh, sorry for the wait guys. I was having writer's block, mixed with a severely overly booked schedule. Any who though, please enjoy!**

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The sun was making its steady climb downward, the moon already in position to take the orange and yellow orb's place. The Stardust Cats slept like they always did, this slumber becoming a daily ritual for them all. Just a few hours ago, the young little she-cat named Amber had fallen victim to the effects of malnutrition.

It was becoming increasingly clear for the rest of the group that the supply of bugs that the occasionally found in the walls of the pit would not be enough, even for them. They would have to climb out of this pit, and they would have to do it soon, before every last one of their bodies were piled up in the corner, flesh rotting away from bone.

Hollow still stood, not wanting to waste his existence yet again with sleeping. His eyes were trained on the glowing crescent moon above him, towering over everyone like a shimmering tyrant that wanted to keep the cats prisoner forever.

Hollow was beginning to believe that the moon did in fact have those intentions. Well, not so much the moon as the StarClan Cats that sat beside the moon and watched over the suffering cats of the earth. It just wasn't fair. The dead cats that have contributed almost nothing useful in Hollow's opinion now get to run across the stars in paradise.

And where was he? Stuck in a hole, with only boredom filling his mind.

It was all that Snowstar's fault. And Hollow was going to make her pay for that fault very dearly. He knew that leaders each had nine lives, and he'd be sure to make each of her remaining lives as painful and terrifying as possible. Maybe he would even let Frostfang help after she was finished with Jayheart.

Frostfang was certainly a strange she-cat. If Hollow were in her place, he probably would never have gotten so angry over a stupid broken promise. He had to feel sorry for the LeafClan father. Feeling that anger radiate off of his own flesh and blood must have hurt. But, he was part of LeafClan after all, and even the most sorrowful of members had to pay some sort of price for their wrong-doings.

His golden eyes, catching a few dim silver rays from above, scanned the wall of the pit where Frostfang had found the footholds. He unsheathed his claws, taking several deep breaths as he prepared to make the climb up. Hopefully his claws would be able to hold him up. He really didn't want to go through the trouble of a broken bone that would be such a pain to heal again.

Behind Hollow, two cats stirred, their silver and gray pelts shimmering as they moved. "Hollow?" One voice called softly, belonging Frostfang. The other cat, a large tom named Rock, sat up silently, watching Hollow through gleaming yellow slits that he called eyes.

"Yes?" Hollow whispered back to the she-cat, though he didn't bother to turn and face her. "What is it that you want? You should be sleeping, you know."

"All we ever do is sleep." Frostfang reminded him sourly, dragging herself to her paws and gracefully padding over to his side. She looked up, twitching an ear. "What are you trying to do? Leave without us?"

"Of course not." Hollow shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I was just trying to test the wall and see if I could actually climb it, that's all."

Frostfang snorted in response, gently hitting Hollow's shoulder with her own. "Yeah, right. You get up there, and then you leave us here. I'm not stupid, ya know."

"But I wasn't..." Hollow sighed breathily, deciding that it was pointless to try and argue with a she-cat that was already stuck in her own train of thought. "Whatever." He muttered, his tail-tip flicking back and forth and occasionally hitting one of Frostfang's hind legs.

With one leap, Hollow sprung up, catching his claws in two footholds. Dirt and debris showered Frostfang's head and neck, and for a moment it looked like the tom wouldn't be able to hang on. But he did, and in a matter of minutes Hollow was already scaling the wall with ease.

"Come on, Frostfang!" He called down below, purring with glee. "The wall seems to be stable enough. Let's go! Freedom awaits!"

The she-cat's eyes shone with a wild light, and she jumped up in the same way that Hollow had, her own claws sticking in the dirt wall. "Freedom..." She murmured, a smirk sprawled across her face. "And revenge."

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**I promise that the next chapter will be longer. I'm trying! Thanks for reading this one. **


	6. Jealousy?

**Gosh guys, I'm so sorry. I feel like I'm abandoning this story, and I really don't want to! I apologize in advance for the sucky length. **

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As the new sun began to rise over LeafClan, dark clouds crossed in front of it, blocking its light. Rain drizzled over the dens and the cats outside of them, making them retreat to their nests to get out of the weather. The hunting patrol of the morning were all too reluctant to travel out into the damp, chilled forest. Of course, a harsh tongue lashing by Fogfern made the rest of the cats put on fake, eager expressions instead as they headed out.

Jayheart, who had been the one to organize the patrol, could see that Fogfern's belly was becoming slightly swollen and distended. Excitement filled his mind as he glanced over at Shadowbreeze, who held his chin up high as he walked swiftly beside Fogfern. It was becoming increasingly clear that a new litter of kits would soon enter LeafClan's ranks.

"Jayheart?" A soft voice called behind the tom.

"Yes, Whisperwing?" Jayheart replied, turning his head over his shoulder and pausing, holding up the rest of the patrol. "Is there a problem? No foxes or badgers, right?"

Whisperwing hesitated, her paws shuffling on the muddy ground uneasily. "Um, no, uh, none of that." She seemed to be uncomfortable with the growing number of eyes that rested on her. "I-I would like to talk to you in private." She quickly added before stopping, "I-If's that's okay with you."

Jayheart nodded, confused. Whisperwing was acting strange today, and more nervous than usual. "Sure." He turned his attention to the other cats, Flamesting, Snaketail, Echopool, and Shimmersoul. "Go split up, and catch as much prey as you can, please. We will meet back here again when the sun has risen to its full height."

The others nodded, splitting off in opposite directions and racing through the trees, leaving Jayheart and Whisperwing alone. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about, Whisperwing?"

Whisperwing sat down, wrapping her tail tightly around her paws. "Um, well, Robinfur... She's been talking to me about you lately."

Jayheart pricked his ears at that remark. This was getting so strange... Was Robinfur still upset? His mind flickered back to the arguement that they had had not too long ago. Robinfur had yelled at him for being so mopey, and not moving on like he should have. Then she complained about Jayheart not caring that Robinfur was still okay.

Getting a little nervous himself about this whole situation, Jayheart cleared his throat, speaking softly and slower than before. "Really? What did she say?"

Whisperwing paused, looking down at her paws. "Well, she's been telling me, and some of the other she-cats, that, well... You've been really depressed, and you don't care about Robinfur as much anymore. She said that, uh, maybe you don't love her anymore, and you love Frostpaw more than her."

Jayheart didn't know what to say or think. His eyes widened, and he dug his claws into the muddy ground, creating a squishing and sucking noise. "Oh..." He mumbled, his ears flattening against his skull. "Well, thanks for telling me, Whisperwing."

"I-I hope you aren't sad!" Whisperwing mewed loudly, looking as if she were about to cry. "I-I didn't mean to make you upset...!"

Jayheart sighed, shaking his head. "No, I'm not sad, Whisperwing. Don't work yourself up like that." He forced a fake smile, his eyes squeezing shut. "I'm fine. See?"

Whisperwing didn't seem very convinced, but she shrugged and stood up anyway. Before leaving, she turned her head over her shoulder, looking nervous again.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

"What's that?"

"Um... Robinfur's been really friendly with Talonclaw lately... He's been really nice to her, and, uh, she's really starting to be around him more... I just, uh, thought you should know, if she..."

"... What?!"

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**I know, it's pitiful. I'm really sorry. I really gotta get off my butt and put some much-needed, higher-quality effort into this. **


	7. A Message From Above?

**Alright, I am back! I feel like I finally have the motivation to continue this. Thanks to "Anti Social Shinigami", a new Internet friend of mine, for giving me some advice to help me get back on track here. **

**Now, let's continue our story! **

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Snowstar sighed, curling up in her moss-lined nest. She squeezed her dark blue eyes shut, pretending that if she ignored everything, then she'd be happy again. "Grassleaf, give me strength." She mumbled to herself.

Grassleaf was Snowstar's late brother. He had died at the paws of a ruthless fox that wandered down into LeafClan's camp, because the scent of fresh prey was so strong. Grassleaf was always guiding Snowstar in the right direction, and even in death, she could sometimes feel his presence.

Getting to her paws, Snowstar moved to step outside of her den. A sunny afternoon like this was just what she needed to calm her frayed nerves. It seemed like even after the battle with the Stardust Cats, the Clan still seemed on edge. To her shock, a force that she couldn't see shoved her back, sending her flying backward. Snowstar slid across the den's floor, and she squeezed her eyes shut out of terror.

"Snowstar..." A hushed voice met her ears, and blue eyes flickered open to meet troubled green ones. "Snowstar!"

A tom with a shimmering white pelt stood over her, staring at her with a worried expression. "Grass... Grassleaf?" Snowstar whispered in shock, her eyes widening in awe as she looked at her dead brother's spirit. "You-" A paw reached forward, planting itself on her mouth.

"Snowstar, this is not the time to be awe-struck!" Grassleaf mewed, stamping a paw on the ground for emphasis. "It is, however, the time for me to tell you about the Stardust Cats."

Snowstar gasped softly, her expression turning deadly serious. "Great." She mumbled, "What, now I suppose there is another group of them that we missed?"

Grassleaf shook his head, pausing to flick a fly away from his ear. "No, I'm afraid it's more complicated than that. You see..."

Snowstar nodded, shoving her head forward to hear Grassleaf's every word. "What, Grassleaf? Spit it out, for StarClan's sake!"

"Frostpaw is-"

"SNOWSTAR!" A shriek made Snowstar's attention move from her brother to the entrance of her den. A she-cat's voice called out to her, sounding urgent.

"Grassleaf, just-" Snowstar turned back to her brother, ready to snap at him for being so slow with telling her this news. But when she looked back at the space that the tom had occupied... He was gone.

"Mouse-dung..." Snowstar hissed, getting to her paws to go and reprimand the she-cat for interrupting her brother. The she-cat turned out to be Ferndust. Her apprentice, Blackpaw, stood beside her, his chest puffed out proudly.

"What is it, Ferndust?"

Ferndust purred loudly, raising her chin high into the air, her voice ringing out across the camp. "I wish to train as a warrior!"

Silence. Snowstar's pelt fluffed up automatically, imaginary, cold claws tearing at her spine. "But why would you-"

"I don't believe my ears." Wildeye cut Snowstar off as he sauntered over, apparently hearing Ferndust's words. Blackpaw suddenly seemed to become terrified of the former deputy, and he raced behind his mentor, cowering with his ears flattened. Wildeye certainly had a dark aura surrounding him, a spiteful nature coming into play ever since he had been demoted.

"A medicine cat wants to become a warrior?" The tom sneered, shaking his head. "What is this world coming to?" His eyes turned to Blackpaw, who squeaked with fright and buried himself into Ferndust's fur. "And I suppose that this little scrap over here wants to become an apprentice, hm?"

"We don't want to 'become' anything." Ferndust countered levelly, obviously refusing to cower in front of Wildeye. "We just want of train and learn battle skills. I'm tired of not being able to fight."

Wildeye turned to Snowstar, laughing. "Snowstar, you can't be serious. Please don't tell me that you're actually feeling sympathy for her! She should be in the Medicine Den, where she belongs." He glanced at Ferndust, snickering. "Besides... A she-cat such as herself isn't fit to fight. She's too weak and delicate."

Ferndust suddenly unsheathed her claws, growling. "Say that again! I dare you!"

Blackpaw squeaked again, batting at Ferndust's tail with his paw. "Ferndust, don't..." He warned softly, but his mentor wasn't listening. Her gaze was locked firmly on the smirking tom in front of her, his own claws unsheathing.

"Fine, medicine cat. You want to fight, hm?" Wildeye crouched down, then pounced toward Ferndust, a crazed look in his green eyes. "Then let me be the one to give you your first test!"

The two adult cats clashed, a rolling, hissing ball of fur, claws, and teeth. Blackpaw had to scramble out of the way, almost getting crushed in the process. Snowstar sighed heavily, sitting down and watching the fight with a sad look. Blackpaw stared at her in disbelief.

"You aren't going to stop them?"

Snowstar shook her head, sighing again. "Ferndust needs this. She needs to learn that training as a warrior is just not something she is capable of, and Wildeye will teach her that. It's hard, but she must learn somehow." Blackpaw made a small, "oh," sound in response, sitting down beside Snowstar and watching the fight. He gasped every once in a while as blood flew into the air, and he knew exactly whose blood it was.

A crowd of warriors began to gather, most angry that Snowstar allowed this to continue. A few curious kits scampered over, awe-struck as they witnessed their first battle. A queen padded over though, bringing the kits away and into the Nursery so they couldn't watch the bloody confrontation any longer.

Eventually, Ferndust fell back, too exhausted to continue. Wildeye looked perfectly fine, save for a few gashes on his shoulders and back. Ferndust, however, was another story. Cuts and scraps littered her sides and face, most of them bound to leave scars. Blood trickled out of the wounds, staining the ground.

Wildeye casually licked a paw, swiping it over an ear a few times. "Well, I guess it's settled then. I'm sorry it had to come to this. But, ignorance must be dealt with, no matter the cost." He turned his back to a panting Ferndust, who suddenly collapsed on the ground. The group of watching warriors cleared a path to let Wildeye pass, and their hard stares made it clear that they were not happy with him.

"Ferndust..." Blackpaw raced over to his mentor's side, licking at her wounds to try to clean them out. The she-cat hissed angrily at the little tom, batting him away with a harsh paw.

"Get away." She mumbled, sitting up slowly. "I'll be fine. Just get me some marigold and cobwebs." Blackpaw hesitated, but then decided to get the herbs his mentor had requested and not argue.

Snowstar turned her head away, growling at the warriors who stood there still, unsure of what to do now. "Go on, there's nothing more to see." The cats scrambled away immediately, not wanting to get hit with their leader's wrath. Snowstar was small, but she turned into a complete beast when angered.

Ferndust limped away into the Medicine Den, her head hung in defeat. Snowstar could easily sympathize with her. Back when she trained to become a warrior, she was criticized for her size. She was no bigger than the biggest kit in the nursery, which wasn't saying much.

"Well, no sense lingering on the past." Snowstar chastised herself, standing and shaking her pelt out. "We must move forward." She turned-tail, heading back to her den. "And I have more important matters to attend to. I must figure out what it was that Grassleaf wanted to tell me."

Her eyes turned up to the wispy clouds above, occasionally blocking the sun's rays as they passed by. "I must."

* * *

**And that concludes this chapter! Chapter 9 shall be here, I promise. It might take some time though, since my vacation is approaching soon. Though it will come. :3**


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